Slotkin follows up on ‘Economic War Plan’ with bill declaring a national housing emergency

BY KYLE DAVIDSON, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—US Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) put forth a plan on Thursday to utilize the full force of the federal government to address the nation’s housing crisis, following up on a previous call to declare a national emergency on housing.

“There is nothing more fundamental to the American Dream than owning your own home, and it has become increasingly difficult for middle class Americans to do this,” Slotkin said in a statement. “The United States is in a housing crisis, and we need to act now. That’s why my bill declares a national housing emergency, cuts regulations that get in the way and uses the full weight of the US government to increase our housing supply by 4 million homes.”

To meet that goal, Slotkin’s National Housing Emergency Act would instruct domestic industries to boost production of lumber, steel, and manufactured housing to speed up construction and rehabilitation.

The bill sets a minimum residential code standard to ensure the emergency declaration does not support the proliferation of poor-quality housing. It also includes a “pro-growth requirement” for communities seeking federal block grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation.

Additionally, the act pushes states and localities to cut red tape by compelling them to change laws to allow commercial properties to be turned into housing, eliminate single-family zoning and allow for accessory dwelling units, sometimes referred to as “in-law suites” or “granny flats.”

It also bars states and localities from passing laws, rules or regulations that would impair the build out or rehab of housing during the emergency, which is set to end when either 4 million units of housing are built or rehabilitated, or in October 2031.

The bill does not currently have bipartisan support, making it unlikely to gain ground in the GOP-controlled US Senate.

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This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.